Moving from incarceration into the community can be a difficult transition, especially for people with mental illness or addictions. Through a unique collaboration with justice and social service organizations, CAMH is helping men in this situation find housing, employment, and mental health and addictions support.
The Toronto Justice Service Collaborative, comprising representatives from over 40 justice and social service organizations and facilitated by CAMH, is working with the Reintegration Centre to help men leaving Toronto South Detention Centre start fresh.
”The service and referral hub is the first of its kind in Canada and could help this population avoid reoffending,” says
The Toronto Justice Service Collaborative is just one of 18 Service Collaboratives set up by CAMH across Ontario as part of the Province’s Mental Health and Addiction Strategy. Focused on addressing local gaps in services, the collaboratives improve transitions for children, youth and adults who experience mental illness and addictions.
In Lanark, Leeds and Grenville, the focus is on keeping children and youth out of the justice system through an early intervention program. Called Intersections, the program brings together police and community organizations to redirect young people before they travel too far down the wrong path. In London, the local Service Collaborative is improving support for children and youth as they transition from the pediatric emergency department to community mental health services.
From Thunder Bay to Kingston, CAMH is helping local mental health service providers access high-quality resources, education and consultations for people in need of specialized mental health care.
